What connections exist between Numbers 5:24 and New Testament teachings on purity? The Bitter Water Ritual in Numbers 5:24 • Numbers 5:24: “He is to have the woman drink the bitter water that brings a curse, so that the water of bitterness that brings a curse may enter her and cause bitter suffering.” • A real, God-ordained procedure to unmask hidden adultery. • The water did not work by magic; it worked because the Lord Himself enforced the curse (vv. 19-22). • The ceremony underscored two truths: God’s zeal for marital purity and His right to expose what people try to conceal. Purity Begins in the Heart • Jesus pushes the issue deeper than outward proof: “I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matthew 5:28) • Numbers 5 shows sin eventually becomes visible; Matthew 5 shows sin starts invisibly. Together they declare that God sees everything—outer and inner. Marriage Is to Be Honored by All • “Marriage should be honored by all and the marriage bed kept undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers.” (Hebrews 13:4) • The bitter water ritual anticipated this same judgment; the New Covenant restates it without the temple ceremony but with equal seriousness. Christ Drank the Bitter Cup for Us • Jesus spoke of “the cup” He must drink (Matthew 26:39). • He “became a curse for us” (Galatians 3:13). • Where the guilty woman would drink judgment, the sinless Bridegroom drank judgment to present His bride “holy and blameless” (Ephesians 5:25-27). • The cross therefore answers the dilemma of Numbers 5: sinners deserve the curse, yet Christ absorbs it. Living Water Replaces Bitter Water • “Whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst.” (John 4:14) • “Rivers of living water will flow from within him.” (John 7:38) • The gospel exchanges bitter, condemning water for cleansing, life-giving water—yet only because the curse fell on Jesus first. The Call to Ongoing Purity • Flee sexual immorality (1 Corinthians 6:18-20). • Let the Spirit produce self-control (Galatians 5:16, 22-23). • Examine oneself before the Lord’s Supper, another cup that exposes hidden sin if taken lightly (1 Corinthians 11:27-31). • Walk in the light so sins are confessed, not concealed (1 John 1:7-9). Summary Connections • Numbers 5:24 illustrates God’s uncompromising stance on purity and His power to reveal sin. • The New Testament affirms the same moral standard, intensifies it to the heart level, and shows that Christ bears the curse for all who trust Him. • Believers, now indwelt by the Spirit, are called to live in the purity Christ purchased, exchanging bitter water for living water while honoring marriage and guarding their hearts. |
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